Using Virtual Reality Technology to Improve Aircraft Inspection Performance: Presence and Performance Measurement Studies

Research in aircraft inspection and maintenance has revealed the criticality of human inspection performance in improving aviation safety. If we are to provide the general public with a safe and reliable air transportation system, inspection must be performed effectively, efficiently and consistently. Even though it is difficult to eliminate errors completely, continuing emphasis must be placed on identifying interventions to reduce errors and improve consistency in performance. Training has been identified as the primary intervention strategy in improving the quality and reliability of aircraft inspection performance. If training is to be successful, it is clear that we need to provide aircraft inspectors with tools to help enhance their inspection skills and improve performance. In response to this need a Virtual Reality (VR) based simulator was developed for visual inspection task of an aft cargo bay. Presence and performance validation studies were conducted to evaluate the simulator and are described as part of this paper.